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S: The Grey Wolf Moore and Steinheuser

FC: The Grey Wolf

1: THE GREY WOLF | By Jordyn Moore and Jenna Steinheuser

2: -Kingdom-Animalia : Animal -Phylum-Chordata: Spine -Class-Mammalia: Mammal -Order- Canivora: Meat eating animal -Family- Canidae:Family member of the carnivorous or omnivorous -Subfamily- Caninae: subfamily to canidae. -Tribe- Canini: a notable Italian surname. -Genus- Canis: is a genus containing 7 to 10 extant species -Species- C. Lupus: -Binomial name: Canis Lupus | Today, there are over 300 wolves in Yellowstone Park and over 500 in Idaho. The reintroduction of wolves is still in ongoing debate and is sometimes heated about already introduced wolves and the possibility of reintroducing more. Through negotiations between livestock ranchers and Defenders of Wildlife, the reintroduction of wolves has been a great success and number recovery goals have been met. However, the reintroduction still provides a sharp divide between industry and environmentalist.

3: FUN FACTS...! * Grey wolfs are 4-5 feet long * Male wolfs are generally 90l.b.s. * Females are usually 80l.b.s * They can run 35m.p.h. * they can jump 12 feet up in the air or over something. | Wolves mate in January to March. The female wolfs gestation period is 63 days. An average litter is 4 to 7 pups. At birth, wolf pups tend to have darker fur and blue eyes. Their eyes will change to a yellow-gold or orange color when the pups are 8 - 16 weeks old. Though extremely unusual, it is possible for an adult wolf to retain its blue-colored eyes. Wolves can live to be between 8 - 13 years. In the wild, Grey Wolves live about 6 to 8 years and sometimes up to 13 years. In zoos, Grey Wolves may live up to 17 years.

4: Length: 39"-80" Weight: 57lbs-130lbs Size: 26"-38" in shoulder size Color: Grey, Brown, White, Black; Red. Historically, Grey wolves have the largest range of any land mammal, other than people. Grey wolves have lived in all habitats in the Northern Hemisphere except for tropical forest. Grey wolves tend to occupy forests, tundra and grassy plains as well as deserts and mountains. | Grey wolves live in packs, which have complex social structures that include the breeding adult pair (the alpha male and female) and their offspring. A hierarchy of dominant and subordinate animals within the pack help it to function as a unit. Wolves communicate by scent-marking, vocalizing (including howling), facial expressions and body postures.

5: Grey wolves are carnivores. Their natural diet is solely meat and they often prey on animals larger than they are including - deer, moose, caribou, elk, bison and musk-oxen as well small animals such as beaver, hares and other small rodents. The illegal killing of Grey wolves has become a major threat to their survival. Another serious problem is human invasion into wolf territory, which leads to habitat loss for wolves | Today the range of the Grey Wolf has been reduced to the following areas of the United States: Alaska, Idaho, Michigan, Minnesota, Montana, Wisconsin and Wyoming. Grey Wolves can also be found in Alaska, Canada, as well as Russia and a few eastern European countries. Mexican wolves have been reintroduced in New Mexico and Arizona.